30 Ways to Eat More But Weigh Less

30 Ways to Eat More But Weigh Less

By Olivia Tarantino

Fill your plate but feel and look thinner? Yes, it's possible!

I came home to find my roommate, Rachel, sitting motionless at the kitchen table. It didn't take long to realize why she looked so miserable. Her usual plate of meat and veggies was replaced with a small bottle of murky green juice. She was trying to lose weight—again.

"I can't do this," she confided to me. "The last time I did this juice cleanse, I was so tired—and constantly ravenous! But I don't know what else I can do lose 10 pounds."

I knew exactly where Rachel was coming from. Many of us think the only way we can lose weight is either by employing these week-long cleanses or absurdly calorie-restrictive diets. And while these tactics offer short-term fixes, they rarely result in lasting success. In fact, if you're too restrictive, you'll not only slow down your metabolism, but you're also likely to become so fed up (and hungry) that you'll throw in the towel—or worse, binge on an entire carton of ice cream in a single sitting.

So what did I tell Rachel? "Fill up your plate and embrace eating!"

Sound too good to be true? Okay, there is one catch. Filling your plate with chips and cookies isn't going to cut the belly fat. But when you load up your plate with the right kinds of foods that keep you satiated throughout the day, you'll start to kick those pesky pounds to the curb. Losing weight should focus less on what you can't eat and more on which nutrient-dense foods you can eat. Following the tips below will ensure that you can sit down to a plate filled with slimming, delicious food that won't leave you wanting more.